Man accused of shooting neighbor during target practice in Franklin

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

Man accused of shooting neighbor during target practice in Franklin

JOHNSON COUNTY, Ind. – The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after a man allegedly shot his father’s neighbor by accident.

Officers were called to shooting in the 1700 block of 125W in Franklin around 2 p.m. Friday. When they arrived, they found the victim in his garage, suffering from a gunshot wound near his knee.

A witness at the home told officers that she had heard bullets “whizzing” past her head in the driveway. The victim reportedly told the witness that somebody was probably just doing some target practice and that they were probably safe. He was shot shortly after.

Officers say they found a bullet lodged in the side of the garage and what looked like a ricochet on the front of the building.

The victim was transported to Methodist Hospital.

Officers interviewed the shooting suspect, who was identified as Donald Ethan Lawlis. The investigation is ongoing.